Charlotte, NC — It was a tale of two halves in this match as the Charlotte Independence were dominant throughout the first half, but the New York Red Bulls II’s second half heroics saw them pull back an equalizer and come close on a few occasions for a game winner.

Off the back of a wild 3-3 draw with Toronto FC II last Thursday night, John Wolyniec made six changes to the starting lineup. Andres Ivan, Ryan Meara, and Brian White were all unavailable having joined the first team for tonight’s clash with Toronto FC.

Allen Yanes and Cristian Casseres Jr. made their first team returns after the September international break. Tom Barlow, Evan Louro, Amando Moreno, and Jared Stroud make up the remaining for changes to the starting eleven.

The Independence started the match with high intensity, shredding through the NYRBII midfield with ease. They opened the scoring through a wonderfully work passing movement down their left side with the end product being a wonderfully hit Greg Jordan volley finding the back of the net in the 15th minute.

On that play, Kevin Politz and Hassan Ndam failed to mark Conor O’Brien at the top of the box, allowing the midfielder to set Jordan up for his goal.

NYRBII grew into the match following the goal, but the Independence’s defense remained stout, and their offense continued to test Louro. Alex Martinez had an especially dangerous volley knocked over the bar by a fully stretched Louro in the 30th minute.

Jason Stroud had the best opportunity of the half for Red Bulls II as he went one-on-one with Brandon Miller, but the Independence ‘keeper did well to close down the angle and force Stroud to put his shot wide.

The second half saw NYRBII start with more energy and take control of possession. Hassan Ndam played a pivotal role preventing the Independence’s counter attacks.

Their persistence finally lead them to their just rewards in the 70th minute. Tom Barlow’s effort was parried away by Miller, but landed right to the feet of Anatole Abang. The Cameroonian made no mistake in putting home the equalizer.

The Independence’s defense, which looked solid prior to the 70th minute, began to look shaky. They sat back in the second half, looking to preserve their one goal lead and pounce on the counter attack. Ndam and Politz held strong against the Independence’s efforts. The passive pressing opened gaps for Stroud and Tinari to work in.

Unfortunately, NYRBII just could not keep their opportunities on frame. Anatole Abang’s introduction to the match kept their fire going. But NYRBII continued to waste opportunities to grab the lead.

Man of the Match

Hassan Ndam, despite being partially at fault for the Independence’s goal, made up for his mistake with an impressive work rate. He covered every blade of grass on the defensive side of the ball. Ndam also helped prevented the Independence’s counter attack.